Fire-escape.



J. N. WIGGS.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1914.

1,116,189, Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

Witnesses ventor by QMQ/ 4 Attorneys THE NORRIS PETERS C(IRPHOIWLITHQ,WASHINGTON, D. C.

s'rarrns PATENT OFFICE.

JONATHAN N. WIGGS, 0F SENATE, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAMT.

CANEER, OFSENATH, MISSOURI.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

Application filed July 20, 1914. Serial No. 852,026.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L Jomvri-mn N. Wises, a citizen of the United States,residing at Senath, in the county of Dunklin and State of Missouri, haveinvented a new and useful Fire-Escape, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention appertains to fire escapes, and aims to provide anovel and improved apparatus of that character.

The invention contemplates the provision of a fire escape embodying achute of unique construction, and adapted to be dropped from a window,exit or other opening in a building, to enable the occupant or occupantsof the buildingto readily descend through the chute to the ground insafety.

The invention has for another object, to

provide in connection with the peculiar chute, a bag adapted to hold theperson doscending in the chute, and especially adapted to pass readilydown the chute and to en able the occupant of the bag to control thevelocity of his descent.

A still further object. of the invention is to provide novel means, forsupporting the chute, bothwhen it is collapsed orextended, and means forfoldingthe apparatus in compact collapsed condition, whereby the samemay be normally positioned upon the inner side of the window, exit, orthe like, and whereby the apparatus may be readily proj ected throughthe window and then released to drop the chute. i

It is also within the scope of the present invention to provide a fireescape of comparatively simple and inexpensive construction, which maybe applied to various buildings, which may be compactly folded orcollapsed and swung to inoperative position when not in use, and whichwill be simple, convenient,practical and efficient in its use.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement ofparts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

The invention has been illustrated in its I preferred embodiment in theaccompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of theapparatus in unfolded condition, parts being broken away, and the idleor inoperative position of the apparatus being indicated in dottedlines. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus.

The present apparatus embodies an upper ring or supporting member 1,which has at tached to opposite sides thereof, a pair of brackets 2,which project tangentially in the same direction from the ring 1 andwhich are parallel. Those ends of the brackets 2 remote from the ring orannulus 1, are bent angularly, as at 3, and are fulcrumed or.

pivoted as at 4, below the sill of the window or opening 5 in thebuilding, whereby the supporting frame constituting the ring 1 andbrackets 2 may be swung inwardly and outwardly within the room andthroughthe window 5 as seen in the dotted and full line positions inFig. 1.

The chute which is hung from the ring 1,

comprises an annular series or plurality of chains or flexible elements6 which have their upper ends attached to the ring 1, and which havetheir lower or free ends attached to a second ring or annulus 7 A plateor disk 8 of any suitable character is secured to the bottom of the ring7 and constitutes the bottom of the chute which is adapted to rest uponthe ground, sidewalk, or lower surface, when the chute is dropped asseen in Fig. 1.

It is of course understood that the chains or flexible elements 6 are ofsuflicient length so as to extend to the ground from the upper orstmporting ring 1 and that they may be constructed in various lengths,according to the height of the window 5. Any suitable number of chains 6may be usen.

The chains or flexible elements 6 are surrounded or girdled atlongitudinally or ver tically spaced points or at suitable intervals,with annular elastics or coiled wire springs 9. These elastics orsprings 9 are spaced suitably apart, according to the circumstances, andare normally of a diameter considerably smaller than the diameters ofthe rings 1 and 7 and are adapted to be expand ed when the persondescends through the chute as will hereinafter appear. The

chains 6 diverge from the upper elastic or spring 9 to the ring 1,. asdesignated at 10, and diverge from the lower elastic or spring 9 to thelower ring 7, as indicated at 11, while those portions of the chains 6between the uppermost and lowermost elastics or springs 9 are normallyparallel, and provide a constricted expansible body portion for thechute, as indicated at 12. The chains 6 pass through the annularelastics or springs 9, and the chains and. elastics or springs arefastened together to hold the elastics in place. To this end, verticallycurved plates 13 are preferably secured to the inner sides of theelastics or springs 9, and have the chains 6 attached thereto, and theseplates 13 also serve as deflectors for preventing the chains 6 beingbent excessively over the elastics or springs 9 when a person isdescending through the chute, and which would be liable to proveinjurious or detrimental.

The chute constituting the spaced and yieldably connected chains orflexible elements is adapted to be" collapsed within a small compass,when the ring 7 and bottom 8 are moved upwardly adjacent the ring orsupporting member 1, as will be evident, and to facilitate handling thechute, a plurality of cables 1d have lower crotch portions 1 1 attachedto the ring 7 and bottom 8 and the cables are trained over pulleys 15carried by the supporting ring 1 so that the upper ends of the cables 14may be extended through the window 5. Thus, when the cables 1% are drawnupwardly, the lower ring 7 and bottom 8 may be pulled up against thesupporting ring 1, to collapse the chute, and the cables 1-1 may then betied to hold the apparatus in collapsed or folded condition when not inuse.

The outer portion of the ring 1 is equipped with a guard, which embodiesan arcuate inclined rod 16 having its terminals secured to the sides ofthe ring 1, and a fabric gore 17 attached to the rod 16 and outerportion of the ring 1. This guard facilitates the entrance of personsinto the upper end of the chute, and also prevents accidents which mightoccur if the outer portion of the ring were unprotected.

In connection with the chute, there is employed a bag 18, constructed ofasbestos or other fire proof material, and in which the persondescending the apparatus may be held. lVithin the bottom of the bag 18is disposed a dished spider 19, which holds the lower end or bottomportion of the bag in a rounded or somewhat pointed form, to enable thebag to pass down the chute without interference. A supporting plate 20is preferably disposed within the spider 19 for supporting the personwithin the bag 18, and one or more springs 21 are disposed between thesupporting plate and the center of the spider 19 for yieldablysupporting the plate 20 in connection with the flexibility of the armsof the spider, to reduce the shock or concussion when the bag strikesthe bottom of the chute or the ground.

As will be evident, the apparatus may be readily installed by simplyanchoring or pivoting the angular end portions 3 of the brackets 2within the room below the sill of the window 5, in order that the samemay be swung into and out of the window.

it is of course understood that any number of the fire escapes may bedistributed throughout various portions of a building, according tothedictates of necessity. In this connection, it will also be evident thatany number of the bags 18 may be distributed throughout the building inorder that the bags as well as the lire escapes will be convenientlyaccessible by the occupants in cases of emergency.

l/Vhen the apparatus is not in use, the same may be held in compactfolded position by means of the cables or elements 14, and the entireapparatus may be swung within the room clear of the window 5, as seen indotted lines in Fig.- 1. The angular portions 3 of the brackets 2 willthen rest upon the floor, and the other'parts of the apparatus willstand upwardly in order that they may be readily pushed through thewindow 5 when the apparatus is to be unfolded or extended. In case offire or other disaster, the occupant who wishes to escape, may readilypush or swing the frame and collapsed chute outwardlythrough the windowso that the brackets 2 will seat upon the sill of the window to therebysupport the ring 1 in a horizontal outstanding position. By untying orreleasing the cables 14, the chute will drop to the ground and will hangfrom the ring 1, as seen in Fig. 1. A person escaping can slip one ofthe bags 18 over his limbs and body, and then after sitting upon thesill of the window 5 and the inner portion of the ring 1, he may readilyenter the chute to descend therethrough. It is desirable for theoccupant of the bag to hold his head as well as his arms within the bag,while descending the chute, although the arms as well as the head may beleft eX- posed if it is not necessary to pass through the flames indescending. The diverging portions 10 of the chains 6 which are attachedto the ring 1 and which provide an enlarged or flared upper end for thechute, will enable the person after passing through the ring 1, toreadily enter the contracted body portion of the chute. Then, the bag 18containing the person escaping, will descend and gravitate through thechute, and in doing so will pass through the successive elastics orsprings 9 which are of such constricted diameter as to necessitate theirexpansion as the bag 18 passes therethrough.

In this manner, the descent of the bag 18 will be retarded, and it is aneasy matter for the person to control the speed of descent, by spreadinghis arms more or less, to cause the elastics or springs 9 to expand andcontract with more or less tension. Then, when the bag 18 reaches thelower end of the chute, it will land upon the bottom 8, the spring orsprings 21 and resilient spider 19 reducing the concussion or shock to aminimum, to avoid injury to the occupant of the bag, and the occupantmay then readily pass through the portions 11 of the chains 6, or may bedrawn out of the lower end of the chute by bystanders.

It will be noted that thespider 19 will properly direct the bag in itsdownward course through the chute, and to prevent the chains 6 frombeing flexed excessively immediately above the elastics 9, which mightcheck or arrest the downward movement of the bag, this action also beingfacilitated by the deflecting plates 15 as above intimated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In afire escape, the combination with a chute comprising a plurality offlexible elements, and elastics yieldably connecting them, of a bagadapted to hold a person and descend through the chute, whereby theoccupant of the bag in spreading his arms may control the descent of thebag through the elastics.

2. In a fire escape, the combination with a chute comprising a pluralityof flexible elements, and elastics yieldably connecting them, of a bagadapted to hold a person and depend through the chute, and a membercarried by the bottom portion of the bagto direct the bag through thechute.

3. In a fire escape, the combination with a chute comprising a pluralityof flexible elements, and elastics yieldably connecting them, of a bagadapted to hold a person and depend through the chute, a member carriedby the bottom ortion of the bag to direct the bag througi the chute, anda yieldably supporting plate carried by the said member within the bag.

I. In a fire escape, a supporting ring, and a chute hung therefrom andincluding a plurality of flexible elements attached to the said ring andspaced elastics yieldably connecting the said elements, the elasticsbeing of smaller diameter than the said ring, the upper portions of theflexible elements diverging from the upper elastic to the said rmg.

5. In a fire escape, a supporting ring, a chute hung therefrom andincluding flexible elements and spaced elastics yieldably con nectingthem, the elastics being of smaller diameter than the said ring, theupper portions of the flexible elements diverging and being attached tothe said ring, and a bottom plate, the lower portions of the saidflexible elements diverging and being attached to the said bottom plate.

6. In a fire escape, a supporting ring, a chute hung therefrom andincluding flexible elements and spaced elastics yieldably connectingthem,the elastics being of smaller diameter than the said ring, theupper portions of the flexible elements diverging and being attached tothe said ring, a bottom, the lower portions of the said flexibleelements diverging and being attached to the said bottom, means forsupporting the bottom adjacent the said ring to hold the chutecollapsed, and a bracket to which the said ring is attached and adaptedto be anchored within a room through the window of which the ring andbracket are projected.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing.

as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

JONATHAN N. WIGGS. l/Vitnesses: I

A. J. HARKEY, R. WV. TUCKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

